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May Recap: Central

Today we’re in the Central. If you missed this month’s recap of the West, you can find it here.

American League

Cleveland Indians (27-24)

Despite finishing the month one game under .500, Cleveland managed to lose three games in a row only twice. However, it also won three in a row only twice.

Minnesota Twins (26-23)

First baseman Joe Mauer is having his best season since 2013, batting .290 with four dingers and 24 RBIs, and is on pace to surpass totals from his last four seasons. That should help to keep the Twins in the hunt.

Detroit Tigers (25-28)

No Tiger is batting above .300. That’s not good. Even first baseman Miguel Cabrera is in his worst season since his rookie campaign in 2003, batting .275 with 26 RBIs. That’s how you can tell things are dispirited in Detroit.

Chicago White Sox (24-28)

The White Sox started the month by dropping eight of their first 10 games. A lack of discipline offensively won’t help that, as Chicago is near the bottom of the bigs in walks and the top in number of times caught stealing.

Kansas City Royals (22-30)

After a horrific April, the Royals played to one game over .500 in May. First baseman Eric Hosmer was a big part in the turnaround with a .367 average in the month, including nine doubles and four homers. With the inconsistency at the top of this division, the Royals aren’t out of this one yet.

National League

Milwaukee Brewers (28-25)

At three games over .500, the Brewers held sole possession of first place in this division when May ended. That was the coldest day of that week in Hell, Michigan, so that would make sense. Infielder Travis Shaw has made a significant impact for the Brewers with nine homers and 36 RBIs, split evenly between the two months.

St. Louis Cardinals (25-25)

It’s tough to get a beat on a .500 team. The Cardinals played level ball through both April and May. However, St. Louis was lopsided through the second half of the month with just four wins after May’s midpoint.

Chicago Cubs (25-27)

The “W” didn’t fly much for the Cubs in May with a 12-16 record. The month can be summed up by one loss: a 5-4, 18-inning marathon loss to the New York Yankees. Chicago just couldn’t get runs across when it mattered.

Cincinnati Reds (24-28)

After a hot start to the first two weeks of the season, the Reds did what they tend to do and cooled off. Then they went ice cold. Cincinnati dropped seven straight and 13 of its last 18 through the end of May.

Pittsburgh Pirates (24-30)

The Pirates are feeling the effects of the absence of outfielder Startling Marte. Fellow outfielder Andrew McCutchen is having a down year (by his standards) with nearly twice as many strikeouts as walks, but leads his crew in RBIs and runs scored.